Eat Well

Why it's important

Healthy eating is very important to help maintain overall good health and physical and mental wellbeing regardless of weight, shape or size.

How to get started

Start by making some simple and easy changes which can lead to big benefits:

add more fruit and vegetables to your diet
introduce different nutrients by having a variety of meals throughout the week. When you are buying fruit and vegetables, try to include a range of colours (think of a rainbow) as the different coloured options contain different vitamins
aim to eat 5 to 7 servings of fruit, vegetables and salad each day. At mealtimes, aim for half of your plate to be vegetables or salad. Snack on fruit during the day
replace sugary drinks with water. Drinking plenty of water is very important to help keep you hydrated
choose wholemeal and wholegrain breads, cereals and pasta, and brown rice where possible. These foods are high in fibre which helps to maintain a healthy heart
aim to have 3 meals and 2 to 3 snacks a day
use healthier cooking methods such as grilling or baking, rather than frying or roasting with oil or fat
limit sweets and treats that are high in sugar, salt and fat to small amounts once or twice a week
get to know your portions and proportions. Find out how much of each type of food you need
make a list and stick to it when doing your food shopping. Safefood has some great tips on buying a healthy and balanced food shop

How to overcome common barriers

Learning to cook

Cooking your own meals can help you control the ingredients that you use and ensure that all of your meals are nutritious.

if you are new to cooking, take a look at some great videos on basic kitchen skills and read a selection of really easy recipes
safefood has lots of recipes for really nutritious, easy meals
batch cooking is a great way to get healthy meals on the table every day in the least amount of time. Set aside time each week to cook a few meals, or simply make double the amount when you do cook and freeze whatever is leftover. This can save you time and money later on in the week. Safefood has some great tips on batch cooking
fresh, tinned and frozen foods are all good options when cooking. Make sure your cupboard is stocked with key everyday ingredients, such as pasta, rice, and eggs
make sure not to add too much oil or fats to your food when cooking
adding lots of different vegetables to meals such as curries, bolognese or lasagne will make them healthier and will bulk up the volume so you can have leftovers for freezing

Living with other people

It can be hard to make changes to your diet if you are living with others or if someone else usually prepares your meals for you. The changes you would like to make may not suit everyone and this can be difficult to overcome, so here are a few tips.

talk to the person who looks after meal preparation and outline the changes you would like to make and see if you can come up with a plan
make sure to make any changes slowly and gradually. You might find others will be more keen to get on board with your changes this way
try out cooking for yourself. Devise a kitchen schedule so that you don’t clash with others and ask for some space in the fridge or freezer to put your own meals
offer to cook your meals for the family one night a week. You might find you can win them over.

SpunOut has more information on this.

Eating well when working shifts

Preparation is key to eating well when you work shiftwork, and planning ahead can help prevent you reaching for unhealthy and convenience foods when hunger hits.

as soon as you know your work schedule, make a plan for what meals you will be having and when. Aim to eat a meal or snack every 3 to 4 hours during waking time
create a shopping list based on your meal plan, and make sure to include healthy snacks
it’s really helpful to have your meals made ahead of time. Try batch cooking as a way of having delicious and nutritious meals ready to go in the fridge or freezer. This can save you valuable time
bring your lunch in from home. A healthy and nutritious homemade lunch (or dinner) will help keep you fuller and more satisfied for longer and stop you reaching for unhealthy snacks.

SpunOut has more information on this.

Following a plant-based diet

If you would like to include more plant-based meals in your diet, try to have main meals based on plant-foods once or twice a week. Using the food pyramid is a good guide for showing the amount of beans and nuts needed to provide similar protein to that in meat, poultry, fish and eggs.

Pulses and vegetable-based protein sources such as tofu and mycoproteins (like Quorn) are a good source of protein and are low in fat. Pulses include beans of all kinds, peas, chickpeas and lentils.

They are a good choice for meat-free days or if you follow a vegetarian diet.

Pulses and beans are inexpensive, low in fat and a good source of fibre, vitamins and minerals. One serving is:

¾ cup cooked beans, peas or lentils
40g nuts or seeds
100g cooked soya or tofu

Remember, you need 2 servings from this shelf of the food pyramid every day.

Treat foods

When making your healthy eating plan, make sure to include 2 to 3 healthy snacks per day, but don’t cut out treat foods completely. A little every now and then is okay.

try not to keep a large supply of treats at home. This adds to temptation
make sure there are plenty of healthy snacks available, such as fruit, vegetables, cheese, nuts and yoghurt

Safefood has more advice on treat foods

Alcohol

If you drink alcohol, taking a break or cutting down on how much you have can be one of the best things you do for your health. Alcohol contains calories with no nutrition, and it can make you want to snack more. Use the handy drink calculator to understand how your alcohol consumption is affecting your wallet and your weight.

Additional Resources

safefood: Healthy weight for you is a free weight loss programme that helps you reach a healthy weight through personalised meal plans. The meal plans developed by nutritionists include a meal tracker to support safe and healthy weight management for you. Each meal plan covers nutritionally balanced recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks including vegetarian selections. Join the programme at safefood: Healthy weight for you

Find out more information about batch cooking and making your food healthier

Find information on HSE Community Cooking classes

Find more tips and information about managing your weight at gov.ie/healthyireland